Birthday Boy
by ElvenPirate41
Summary: A What's Eating Gilbert Grape fic. Arnie's POV regarding his mother's death.


"Birthday Boy"  
  
Work: What's Eating Gilbert Grape   
Character(s): Arnie   
Category: General   
Rating: PG  
  
The style is meant to be Arnie-like, so please excuse and understand the simple structure of this fic!!!   
  
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My name is Arnie. Arnie Grape. My name is Arnie Grape, and I'm eighteen today. My brother Gilbert says I'm a big boy now that I'm eighteen. Amy and Ellen and Momma say so too. Momma and Gilbert both said so, so they must be right.  
  
I had a big party and everything since I'm a big boy. Momma wanted me to have a special day. There was food and games and decorations and presents. Lots of new toys and clothes and things to play with. And Gilbert came back. I missed Gilbert. And he brought Becky with him. Becky's pretty, and she rides a bicycle everywhere. She brought me a present. She showed me how to swim. I like Becky.  
  
I sit in the living room with my new things. So many people came. Momma and Amy and Gilbert and Ellen made a really nice party for me. I love them all so much.  
  
Amy comes down the stairs. "Momma wants to see you, Arnie. She says she wants to see her birthday boy." She smiles. "Why don't you go on up to Momma's room?"  
  
I don't get it. Momma doesn't go to her room anymore. "Momma's upstairs?"  
  
Amy's smile gets bigger. "Yes, Arnie, she's upstairs resting in her room. Why don't you go talk to her? See what she wants?"  
  
I rub my nose. "Okay, Amy. Amy, I'm gonna go see what Momma wants."  
  
"Good boy," she says, and goes into the kitchen.  
  
I laugh as I go up the old stairs. It's my birthday and I'm a big boy and Momma wants to talk. I love Momma. She protects me and gives me hugs when I'm sad or scared. I go into Momma's room. She's lying on the bed. She's asleep.  
  
"Wake up, Momma," I say. She looks pretty when she's sleeping. But she doesn't hear me. "Wake up, Momma," I try again. Still she doesn't hear me. She must be sleeping real good.  
  
I lean forward and talk right into her ear, real loud. "Momma! Wake up!" She doesn't move at all. Wait. Maybe she's not even sleeping.  
  
I get it. She's playing. "Momma, you playing hide and seek? Momma?" Gilbert and me play hide and seek all the time. I hide in the tree in our yard and he can never ever find me. "Where's Momma?" I say, like I've heard Gilbert say about me. "Momma?"  
  
Amy said Momma wanted to talk to me special. I want to know what Momma wants to say. Why isn't she opening her eyes? "Momma, stop. I don't want to play anymore." I know she'll stop now because she loves me. I'm her big boy Arnie.  
  
I'm scared now. Is something the matter? "Momma, stop! Stop! Momma, stop it!" I yell. She's still just lying there on the bed. Why isn't she listening? I don't know. I'm scared. I want to leave the room.  
  
I run out the door and down the stairs, yelling as loud as I can. She's not waking up.  
  
Gilbert comes to me and takes my shoulders. "Arnie! What's wrong?"  
  
"Momma's hiding and she won't wake up!" I say. I'm starting to cry. Gilbert's face gets scared. He runs back towards the stairs and I can hear him calling for Ellen and Amy. I don't want Gilbert to see me crying because I'm a big boy now, but I follow Ellen and Amy up to Momma's room.  
  
They're all looking at her on the bed. They look so sad. I want to make them happy and I start to laugh. They shush me and take me downstairs. I sit on the couch while they talk. I don't want to laugh anymore because they're all looking like something terrible has happened, but I'm not crying either. Soon they all come over to me.  
  
"Arnie," Gilbert says real nice, even though his face is sad. "Help Ellen and Amy and me get all this furniture outside. Okay?"  
  
"Okay, Gilbert," I say. "All of it outside?" I don't know why he wants it all out on the grass but I love Gilbert so I have to.  
  
"Yes, Arnie. We have to bring it all out on the lawn." He picks up a little table and carries it out the door.  
  
"Come on, Arnie," Amy says all quiet. "Let's help Ellen with the chair." I help Gilbert and Amy and Ellen carry everything outside, even when my arms are hurting. I have to do it, because something is wrong and this is the only way to fix it.  
  
"Go on over there, by the trees," Gilbert says, and he points far from the house. But he goes back to the porch with some containers.  
  
"Gilbert!" I call. Ellen takes my hand.  
  
"I'll be right back, Arnie," he calls. "Just go with your sisters."  
  
They take me away and then we turn and watch a tiny Gilbert do something at the porch. Then he runs towards us and there's a light behind him. When he gets to us, the house is all on fire! It's so pretty, and bright and orange, but it's our house and I don't know why he did it.  
  
Gilbert puts his arms around Ellen and Amy, and they don't say anything as we watch our house burn down. Then he comes to me and says all sad, "Happy eighteenth birthday, Arnie." I smile to tell him he doesn't have to be sad anymore, because I'm a big boy and it's my birthday.  
  
I don't know what made Gilbert do it, or where we're going to live now, but I think everything's going to be okay.   
  
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Reviews? Reviews? ::Looks around frantically:: 


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